


Prism

by Uncle_Riko



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, YouRiko Week 2018, YouRikoWeek2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 07:57:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17117462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uncle_Riko/pseuds/Uncle_Riko
Summary: “I-I never needed glasses before, why would I need them now…?”





	Prism

**Author's Note:**

> YouRiko Week Day 5 - Megane
> 
> don't mind me, just a plug for my profession

 

 _The_ _Riko Sakurauchi Look TM_: deep auburn hair, long and straight (unlike her sexuality), with a single stray strand falling atop the forehead; two signature hairclips, one at the right temple, pinning the hair behind the ear, the other, at the back of the head, gathering the hair neatly together. To complement, eyes of gold, on par with sun-kissed fields of grain, endless in their depth and iridescence. Makeup and accessories are minimal, unnecessary—including spectacle wear.

 

. . .

 

“W-What do you mean I need glasses?”

“You’re seeing 20/30 at the moment,” Dr. Nishikino explained, “Ideally, we want you at 20/20.” She went up to the chart, highlighting the size difference between the letters. “With glasses, you’ll be able to see down to here, two lines better than what you’re seeing now.”

The evidence was clear (or rather, _not_ clear), but Riko wasn’t buying it. “I-I never needed glasses before, why would I need them now…?”

“Well, your last eye exam was quite a while ago—what you’re used to and perceive as clear is just, honestly, not as clear as it could be. And at your age, it’s not uncommon for your eyes to change, to go from perfect vision to needing glasses.” She offered a sympathetic smile upon seeing Riko’s increasingly sullen expression. “It’s all normal, I assure you. Your vision changes at all stages of your life, which is one of the reasons it’s important to keep up with regular eye exams.”

Riko knew Dr. Nishikino was probably right, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still try to wiggle out of getting glasses. A sudden thought popped into her head. “What about contacts?”

“Sure, that is definitely an option. Your mother’s vision insurance however, gives you an allowance towards glasses, _not_ contact lenses; essentially, your glasses would be free, but your contacts would be out of pocket.”

“Ehhhh…” Her family wasn’t made of money (which is probably why they’d neglected to go to the eye doctor in the first place). Oh well, it’s not like her reason for not wanting glasses was especially profound or anything.

“It’s your call. I’m going to give you your prescription, you’re free to do with it as you please—get glasses, don’t get glasses, or comeback for a contact lens fitting. You’re a student though, I really think some sort of vision correction would help improve the quality of your life.”

Riko thanked Dr. Nishikino (additionally, apologizing for her sour disposition), before leaving the exam room. She sighed. For anyone else, it may not have been that big of a deal, but getting glasses for the first time, as a high schooler especially (one time where vanity and appearances seemed to actually matter), was rather nerve-wracking. By now, all the kids that wore glasses had grown up with them, it was merely part of their image, their identities. Likewise, Riko had gone her whole life _without_ wearing glasses, it was just who she was. She doubted anyone would even recognize her with glasses.

But her mother wouldn’t allow her to simply do nothing, especially if it was in her best interest to get the glasses. Perhaps she could convince her mother to splurge for contacts? At the moment, that looked to be the only option.

Heading towards the exit, Riko passed through a veritable cornucopia of glasses, shelves upon shelves of frames lining the wall. Dr. Nishikino had said she was free to look at the store’s selection, but Riko had brushed her off; having paid no mind to the glasses upon her arrival (erroneously assuming she wouldn’t ever need them), she hadn’t realized they carried _this big_ of a selection.

…Well, as long as she was here, might as well take a look, right?

As Riko surveyed the premises however, seemingly every inch of wall space covered with glasses, she found she didn’t know where to start. She headed to the most secluded area of the store, scrutinizing the selection haphazardly. She didn’t even know what she liked, what she was looking for, how was she supposed to pick something out?

She took a random frame from the shelf, examining it before placing it on her face. For a second, she wondered why her vision wasn’t any sharper, but _oh right, that’s definitely not how it works_. Ugh, how was she ever going to assimilate into the glasses community??

Hesitatingly, she peeked at herself in the mirror. The frame was semi-rimless, plastic, with a red lower rim and temples. The lenses were oval shaped with a narrow vertical aperture, which, along with the rimless upper half, didn’t obstruct a significant portion of her eyes and face like she thought most glasses did. In fact, she actually kinda liked it—

“Hiya! Finding everything ok?”

Riko whirled around to find a sales associate standing behind her. She looked to be around her own age actually (kinda a serious part-time job for a teenager, working in an optometrist’s office), short ashen-blonde hair, a positively beaming smile on her face. Also of note, she too was wearing glasses. They were the dark, thick-rimmed glasses, the kind that a lot of kids at school wore. Usually, Riko thought they made the wearers look kinda nerdy, but on _her_ , no, she made them look _super_ cute. Or maybe she was just super cute in general—

“Hello? You alright, there?” The girl waved at her.

 _Oh shit, way to zone out in front of the cute employee!_ “O-Oh sorry, I’m fine haha!” Riko laughed nervously.

The girl returned a smile, “Those glasses look really good on you, by the way!”

The two of them returned to the mirror, re-examining the frame Riko had on. She did kind of like the frame, so it was nice to hear the sales associate say as much, but at the same time, wasn’t it her job to say encouraging things like that? To push sales?

“I-I don’t know, they’re kind of—”

“—Whoa!” The sales girl cut her off. “Your eyes, they’re…”

“Huh? Oh, right.” Riko was used to people freaking out over her eye color by now, to the point where she was no longer embarrassed by them.

At an early age, she’d (ironically) begged her mom for glasses. When everyone around her had dark brown eyes, it was a common point of teasing to make fun of her yellow, amber-colored eyes. She wanted nothing more than to hide behind glasses. But with time, and endless encouragement from her mother (who had similar experiences growing up), it became just another part of her identity, something she could take pride in instead of be ashamed of. After all that, hiding behind a frame and lenses now just didn’t seem like she was being true to herself.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen eyes that color before…” the girl reiterated.

“Yeah, it’s pretty weird, I know—”

“No, not at all! They’re really pretty actually!”

Riko fell silent, her only response a faint blush to her cheeks.

“Oh sorry, that must be like super awkward to hear coming from a stranger!” The girl bowed in apology.

“N-No, it’s quite alright…!” Riko looked back at the girl, noticing for the first time, her unusual eye color as well, a light, crystal blue. “Y-You have really pretty eyes too, i-if you don’t mind me saying…!”

“Me? Oh, thanks!” The girl scratched her head sheepishly. “Um, but enough about me, were you liking those frames at all?”

Perhaps this girl _had_ been sincere in saying the frames looked good? Riko was getting that sort of vibe from her. And she did like the frame, but again, it was still a big change. Red seemed a little more… _vibrant_ compared to something simpler, something monochrome, especially for a first pair of glasses. And there was still the whole hurdle of “wearing glasses in the first place” to get over too. She couldn’t very well explain how the only reason she didn’t want glasses was because they didn’t suit the image she’d built up of herself; this poor girl would never understand such ramblings. _She_ wore glasses so seamlessly, she’d probably been wearing them for years.

“I-I don’t know, this would be my first pair of glasses, so I don’t know if they’d suit me, not like how yours suit you…”

“Nonsense! I think they suit you perfectly! And this is my first pair of glasses as well! Got them a couple months ago when I started working here. It’s a big change, but you definitely grow into them!”

…Ok, so maybe she’d been wrong. “R-Really? W-Well, I mean, I do kind of like these, actually…”

“Good! I really do think they suit you!” Suddenly a coworker called for her from across the store. “Oh—! But feel free to look at all the other frames as well! I’ll be just over there if you need any help!”

“O-Ok, thanks…!”

Riko looked back into the mirror. She was liking these frames more and more. N-Not just because a cute girl said she liked them too…but because she could see herself wearing them day to day. And really, her own opinion was the one that mattered most, when all was said and done.

She took the frame off, looking down the wall, realizing there were still hundreds of pairs to try on…nah, this one would do.

She walked around the store aimlessly in an attempt to look as if she’d exhausted all of her options. Finally, she approached the front desk where she found the same girl from earlier.

“All set—? Ah, chose the red frame I see!”

Riko nodded shyly.

“Alrighty then! If you’ll just have a seat, I’m going to take a couple measurements and you can be on your way!”

Riko sat as the girl bustled to and fro, gathering a ruler and pencil and paper.

“Ok, I’m gonna have you look straight ahead for me, right at the bridge of my nose.”

“Um, o-ok…” She was practically staring straight into this girl’s eyes, but w-whatever, it’s not like it was gay or anything...

The girl held a ruler up to Riko’s eyes, expertly balancing it on her nose. She squinted one eye shut as she concentrated, her tongue sticking out ever so slightly, but in that cute sort of way. She scribbled down a couple of numbers before disappearing into the back room.  “Oh, I almost forgot! I’m going to need your prescription.”

Riko handed her the paper Dr. Nishikino had given her. She watched as the girl scanned the page intently.

“Ok, ‘Riko’, you’re all set!”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it!”

Well damn, suddenly it hit her. She wouldn’t ever see the cute little optician’s assistant ever again, would she? Would it be too forward to ask for her name? Her number, perhaps—

As if reading her mind, the girl smiled, “It’ll take one to two weeks to complete your order. We’ll give you a call to pick them up, so…I’ll see you then?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> inspiration:  
> https://wallhere.com/en/wallpaper/267396


End file.
